14 nunavutnews.com, Monday, November 30, 2020
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Helping fight the Covid blues Arviat company doing its best to boost community spirit by Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Arviat
With confirmed cases of Covid-19 rising in the hamlet on a daily basis, Jim Ramsay of Arctic Connection took matters into his own hands to try and brighten the mood of the community by preparing and helping to deliver 150 hearty meals to folks who could use an act of kindness in Arviat. Ramsay said he wanted the meals to go to those in the community who, perhaps, could use a kind gesture and a bit of a helping hand during these most difficult of times. He said he had also been talking to longtime Kivalliq resident Sean Maley about helping out a little bit, so, this past Monday morning, Nov. 23, Ramsay cooked-up 75 breakfast sandwiches, to go along with 75 muffins and packs of juice to distribute among Hamlet of Arviat staff workers. He'll be doing the same thing again this coming Monday morning, Nov. 30. "I've lost 25 out of my 30 staff workers here at the store during the past week or so, so it's been a little rough but you still want to help out where you can," said Ramsay. "I just ordered a whack of quality bulk meats in because my plan is to do this every week if I possibly can. "I had one girl help me put the meals together for about three hours on Nov. 18, but I was in the kitchen from
about 4:30 in the morning. I threw-in 10 big loins-ofpork roasts and did each plate up with hot pork sandwiches, mashed potatoes, gravy and vegetables. "I don't know what I get myself into sometimes, but I just do it because it helps people in the community and it makes me feel good, and that's all that matters." Ramsay said the meals were delivered to the doors of a number of Elders whose names he was given. He said he would casually ask his customers throughout the day if they could suggest anyone in the community who could use a good, nutritious, hot meal and appreciate the gesture. "I was told of one family with, I believe it was, 13 kids there, so we sent over a bunch of meals to that house, and we had a girl help who took 30 meals and went to drop them off to different Elders, people in isolated buildings and things of that nature. "We asked our customers for some names but, going on seven years now here in Arviat, we know some of the Elders and other folks who, you know, can use a little extra help every now and then. "Hilary Irwin also took some meals to drop off to a large family, so we got it done one way or another." Ramsay said he had to shut his kitchen down with the pandemic raging, and figured what better way to make
ᓂᕿᓕᐅᖅᖢᓂ ᐊᔾᔭᖅᑐᐃᑉᓗᓂᓗ 150–ᓂᒃ ᓂᕆᔭᒃᓴᓂᒃ ᐊᕐᕕᐊᕐᒥᐅᑕᕐᓄᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᒥ. ᔨᒻ ᕋᒻᓯ Arctic Connection-ᑯᓐᓂᕐᒥᐅᑕᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᔪᖅ ᐃᑲᔪᕋᓱᒃᖢᓂ ᐊᒃᓱᕈᕐᓇᖅᑐᒃᑰᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᖁᓇᒋᑦ ᓄᓇᖅᑲᑎᒌᑦ
photo courtesy of Arctic Connection
Jim Ramsay of Arctic Connection gets to work trying to help lighten community spirit by preparing and helping to deliver 150 meals for folks in Arviat this past week. use of the store's beautiful kitchen than to do a little good in the community with the free meals. He said he was more than happy to help, with the majority of people in the community more than a little scared right now with, as of press time, 58 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Arviat. "People are scared, yes, but they're also doing pretty good. The momentum, I believe, is growing stronger to beat this thing. "We're a little freaked out. I mean, we're in the store
every day and people from the two buildings that got nailed with Covid here are also in our store every day, so it worries you a bit, of course. "I'm obviously going to have to be tested over the next day or two, but everyone coming into the store are wearing their masks, sanitizing their hands upon entry and practicing social distancing. "We're just doing our best to keep people up and positive, and that's what I intend to keep-on doing at the store as often as possible. It's just the right thing to do."
Arviat woman stranded in Iqaluit Outbreak of Covid-19 in the Kivalliq is preventing woman from returning home by Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Iqaluit
An Arviat woman is stranded in Iqaluit due to the current outbreak of Covid19 in her home community. Jenny Gibbons originally travelled to Iqaluit to babysit for her sister during the summer. However, after those plans fell through she ended up taking a 12-week entrepreneurship course. The course finished up on Nov. 20 but now that there is an outbreak of Covid-19 in Arviat, she is unable to return home. "The Covid is spreading in my hometown and I'm worried," she said. "I am scared to go back home right now and I need help." As of Nov. 25 Arviat had 107 positive Covid-19 cases. Since coming to Iqaluit Gibbons has been staying at Sivvumut homeless shelter. The shelter was trying to help Gibbons make plans to return home as her course was set to finish. However, all flights in an out of the Kivalliq have been cancelled as of Nov.15. "I'm just stuck in between," said Gibbons. Shelter staff, who requested not to be named, said Gibbons would have a room at the shelter indefinitely. "We are doing everything for the clients to pro-
tect them so we're not trying to send her to a community that has the virus right now," they said. Adding to Gibbons' woes is the fact that she doesn't have money to pay for a plane ticket. She received a modest stipend for food while taking her course but that only covered basic costs like food. "I don't know how I will get back home because my sister paid my way here," she said. Nunavut News reached out to the territorial government to see what kind of assistance is being offered to Kivalliq residents who are currently stranded outside the region. They did not respond before press time. Gibbons is currently letting one of her relatives stay in her public housing unit while she is gone, as a way to help alleviate the overcrowded situation in their own home. When she finally makes it home, Gibbons said she plan to open a homeless shelter in the community. "The course was about entrepreneurship. That's what I've been working on with that course," she said. "I've been hearing news about shortages and too many people in one place so I'm going to try and help my community."